If the "pull up the handle and push the button" trick doesn't work (try two hands, but without killing it), you may just have something jammed inside there (did anything fall down inside the console? loose change etc.....) Maybe you can look down inside the console (where the handle sticks out) and see if something is preventing it from releasing, or maybe you could take a screwdriver and manually release the ratchet.

Pricewise I'm not sure until I know what is/isn't broken.

It would be really easy for me to fix it if I could see it, but you're on the wrong side of the country.

The button goes in, but the handle stays put... nothing fell in, there was nothing to fall in... can brake's have too much tension on them and just freeze?

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Sort of. You've just got the cable pulled as far as it'll want to go or you've run out of teeth for the handle to catch on. You can probably still (carefully!) muscle it around until it comes off the teeth that are meant to catch the handle.

I'm pretty sure I could have gotten it with a screw driver and a bit of muscle... but none was around.

The button goes in, but the handle stays put... nothing fell in, there was nothing to fall in... can brake's have too much tension on them and just freeze?

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Park brakes can freeze, but you should still be able to move the handle down after pushing the button (just the cables would be stuck on). I would expect this on a road-salt infested car, not a SoCal Toyota.

Sounds to me like the ratchet just isn't releasing with the push of the button. I don't know whether that part of the p-brake handle is serviceable seperately, or if you would need to replace the entire handle. You should probably just "bitch pop" it out for now if you can. If you can't you may need to have the car towed, since the p-brake being stuck on will make the car not driveable.

If the gf has an extended warranty on the car, this should be covered.